Blueberries are often referred to as blueberries in this country and can be harvested from wild plants in the forest or cultivated varieties for the garden. They can be consumed fresh or preserved by boiling.
When is the harvest time for blueberries?
The harvest time for blueberries varies depending on the type and location. For wild blueberries, harvesting is usually possible from the beginning of July to the end of August or beginning of September. Cultivated blueberry varieties, on the other hand, can be harvested from July to September.
Picking berries in the forest
The native wild varieties of blueberries in the forest have a similar ripening time to the varieties grown for the garden in North America. Depending on the weather, the first fully ripe fruits can usually be found from the beginning of July onwards. The exact ripening time of a stand also depends on the altitude of the location and the shade provided by trees and shrubs. For wild blueberries, the season usually doesn't last as long into late summer as for cultivated varieties, but in some places a harvest is still possible until the end of August or beginning of September.
The North American blueberry varieties for the garden
The plants commonly used as yield varieties in the garden come from North American blueberries, which have larger fruits and white flesh. They are slightly less aromatic and rich in vitamins than their wild relatives in this country, but are more pressure-resistant and do not stain your fingers when crushing fruit. The harvest time for cultivated blueberries ranges from around July to September, depending on the location and care. During this time, fruit can be continually harvested from the same bushes as they ripen with a delay. Good yielding varieties for cultivation are:
- Bluecrop
- Gold Grape
- Bluetta
- Nero
Tips & Tricks
Since unripe and ripe fruits hang close together on every branch of the cultivated blueberries, care should be taken when using a berry comb to only catch fully ripe fruits. Blueberries do not ripen and must be sorted out when they are unripe.